Mommy's Brain Dump

Got through our first double or triple illness

2008-09-29T19:32:00.002-04:00

Last week, the inevitable happened. Both boys got sick at the same time. One night, in particular, was difficult and had both D and me up quite a bit. And, of course, by the end of the week, I, too, got sick! Thankfully, this was a very mild cold for all of us. Only some runny noses and congestion and back to great health. I'd say Nicholas got better, fastest. I attribute that to the breastfeeding and all the immunities in there. I thought about sneaking some into Donovan's milk, but refrained. LOL Surprisingly, D didn't get sick. Usually he is the first because of his exposure at work.

I'll be glad when these elections are over. I get tired of the commercials, the attacks back and forth, etc. I've actually become much more interested in the election the last week or so. My Dad called and said he may be coming for a visit, but mostly to help with the election. Debates on online message boards has heated up and I have been finding lots of different blogs and websites I've never seen. Interesting to say the least.

I am saddened by the Stock Market and financial crisis we are in. I think it's difficult for a lot of people to understand the gist of what's going on and why banks would possibly need $700 billion. In my mind, although I don't trust any one politician much, I do need to trust the government, on the whole, to do what's best for the country. I am not an economist nor do I have access to all the information that they do, so I just have to trust that if they need that much to keep us afloat, there are much bigger problems than we even know! That's all I have to say about that.

And, if it weren't for an online board I frequent, I wouldn't even know about the North Carolina gas problem. I can't believe they are running out of gas! I don't get it. Truthfully, I haven't researched it very much, but I'm shocked that Texas still has gas but North Carolina doesn't when the problem was the TX refineries in the first place. Something is a little screwy. Anyway, people are having to get in line for 30+ minutes and then the gas station runs out of gas! Ugh! How frustrating!! Anyway, you can read more here: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/29/letter-to-any-politician-who-gives-a-you-know-what/

I'm not sure how I got off-track there, but I guess these things are big news right now. Thankfully, our family is doing well and so far only our retirement accounts have felt the credit crisis.

I'll be updating with Nicholas' 8 month and Donovan's 3 year information in the next couple of weeks. We are having a Diego-themed party for Donovan's birthday. He's been wanting a pinata, so we got 2, one Diego and one car. He still loves cars soooo much! :)

Okay, Monday's TV shows are coming on soon, so I'll close here. We watch Prison Break, Heroes and The Terminator. Yes, we watch a lot of TV. :p I wonder what everyone else watches...

Oh dear...disappeared again! Back with news!

2008-09-10T21:06:00.008-04:00

I can't seem to get in a groove to update this more often. I think life with a husband, 2 boys, a full-time job and a new baby sleep website has me busier than ever! Yep! I started my own online business several months ago helping other parents with their baby's sleep problems. I guess you can say I'm also putting my MBA to work, but really I just have to thank my boys. If it weren't for Donovan having so many sleep problems and Nicholas needing me to hold him for 3+ hours each night when he was a newborn (he's a good sleeper now, though!), I wouldn't have this new website. :p I think my Type-A personality just needs to fill in every bit of my day, but ever since I could remember I wanted my own business and I've always wanted to help people, add in my love of being a mother and voila!

My new website is Pick Nick's Brain as in "pick my brain" and my name is Nicole or Nick, for short. ;-) I also have 2 sister sites, now. Baby Sleeps Well and Sleep Through Night purely to try to get search engine search results to my website and sell my e-Book. It is actually much trickier than I thought to have Google and Yahoo find your site and if you aren't on Pages 1 or 2, you may as well not be there at all because not many people click past those pages. It's been interesting, to say the least, to learn how to get people to your site when you have information you think can help them. The exciting part is in the last month I've had over 12,000 visitors and over 22,000 pages viewed on my site. Given Google didn't start finding me until sometime in July, that's not bad!! I really hope my site can help families get more rest. It is estimated that something like 12,000 babies are born every day in just the U.S. and a little less than 20% of them will have more difficult sleep problems. That's a lot of families I can help! Anyway, enough about this, let's get to what this blog is really for! My family updates.

Nicholas is now 7 months old, already! Hard to believe I started this blog as a pregnancy journal and now he is getting so big! Literally! At his appointment, he was 20 pounds, 12 ounces. By the time Donovan was this weight, he was walking and over a year old. It's the same milk, so I don't know what's going on. ;-) Because of his weight, he's not rolling yet, but sits up nicely. He's such a happy baby and is such a treasure.

Donovan is going to be 3 next month! I can't believe it. I look at both boys and am in awe how quickly they change. Donovan is no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, but a little boy! I look at pictures and am just amazed how quickly he is growing up. Terrible Two's has had it's really frustrating moments, but I do think things are settling down a bit. He is such a sweetheart a lot of the time. Lately, he just loves to tell me how much he "wuvs" me and it's so sweet. I love it! He is also getting to be so polite with his "No thank you" and "Yes please" responses. He's still soooo much into his cars, but they helped him get fully potty trained in about a month, so he's going strong there!

I'm still working at home, even more now that I'm trying to build my business. It's exciting!! Most importantly, I love helping people, even if I don't get to retire from it.

The boys are loving their nanny and we love her, too. It is such a blessing that I can work at home and see the boys during the day. It is so special to me that I can watch them a little bit more than if I had to commute and work in an office outside the home. I feel very fortunate. The boys love their nanny, so I can go to work in peace and know that they are well taken care of.

Donnell just went back to school last week, but enjoyed his summer getting his aquariums in good shape. He has one saltwater one and one freshwater. No babies in quite awhile, though. I'm looking forward to our date on Saturday. We have a new arrangement with our neighbor friends to take turns with date nights and swap babysitting after the kids are in bed for an easy night for everyone, with little guilt and less worry. It's great that we have that!

Well, I will close for tonight. I'm going to really try to update this more often. I feel like I'm missing out on documenting some special moments with the boys. I better fix that.

Woah! I'm back!

2008-06-08T21:40:00.006-04:00

Goodness gracious! It's been a long time since I've posted! I guess I've been busy busy! I guess I better update. :)

Nicholas is now 4 months old, yesterday! My, how time flies! He is such a cutie and such a happy baby. It's wonderful! I am LOVING the baby stage. I love love love cuddling him and watching him grow. I think I am able to enjoy the baby stage a little more this time because I'm not as nervous as when I was a first-time mom. :) It definitely helps that he's been a much better sleeper than his older brother!

Here are a couple recent pictures:

Donovan is a great big brother! He hasn't been nearly as jealous as I thought he'd be. There have been a couple things here and there, but overall he gives him lots of kisses and has welcomed Nicholas to the family. Donovan has really started talking A LOT! Sometimes too much. LOL! He is getting very good at using his words, but we are stillllll in that "no" phase, which can drive you a little batty. More than that he's in an "opposite" phase, if there's such a thing. I will give you an example.

Mommy: "It's a nice day today."
Donovan: "It's NOT a nice day today."
Mommy: "Do you want the red cup?"
Donovan: "No, the blue cup."
Mommy: "I'm tired."
Donovan: "Mommy is NOT tired."

LOL! Repeat 100x per day and it can drive you a little batty, ok? :-D

But, it's really cool to watch his vocabulary grow and to have lengthy conversations with him, so I can only complain so much. Here are a few pics of him:

I love love love being a mom and love our little family. We are stopping at 2 kids, so I'm trying to enjoy these stages as much as possible, since I know we won't be repeating. In a lot of ways, that's a good thing! ;-)

Donnell is doing well and just finished another school year, which means he's home for the summer. This is great for him, but it's hard on me since I work at home and get to watch him take 2 1/2 months off. Phew! Give me strength to stay focused! I'm sure he will fully enjoy his time off. Having 2 kids sure is a lot of work!!

As for me, I'm doing well. Nicholas gets up 1-2 times per night, still, so I can be pretty tired, at times, and it's downright BRUTAL when both kids get up! I've been working on a new side business in my "spare time", which has been a lot of fun (more on that later). Other than that, I'm just being a wife, mom, and working about 30-40 hours per week still as a computer programmer. :)

Oh we just had a 60th surprise party for my mother-in-law, so I better include some pictures of that. It was a lot of fun! We are also looking forward to my Dad and Stepmom coming for a visit to meet Nicholas and spend time with us and their other grandson, of course. It should be great fun! I hope it's not too humid because that's usually hard on California folks. LOL!

Bye for now!

Nicole

What a sweet big brother

2008-02-26T19:44:00.003-05:00

It's just too sweet not to share. Today, Nicholas woke up from his nap and started to cry. Donovan, unprompted, walked over to his crib and started singing Frere Jacques to him. How sweet is that?!? It was just soooo precious! He also was so gentle with him today and gave him lots of kisses and tickles his own hands with Nicholas' hair and says "tickle tickle". LOL

It was such a good day today. I was worried Donovan would react negatively to Donnell going back to work, but he's been adjusting just fine. I am not sure if it will quite be the same when I go back to work, though. I plan to go back part-time next week or the following Monday, but plan to leave for shorter stints leading up to that to get him used to going back to his normal routine. I hope it goes well. :)

Our new family

2008-02-22T20:11:00.002-05:00

The transition with Donovan is going well with our new baby, Nicholas. He isn't nearly as jealous as I thought he'd be, but Donny and his nanny have been here so between all of us we've been able to give him a lot of attention. Donny is going back to work on Monday, though, and slowly I'm going to have to start leaving him a bit more to prepare him for me going back to work and then yet another transition so he is spending time with nanny and baby all at once. I am planning to go back to work part-time in a couple weeks and then work my way up to full time again. We'll see how it goes. I'm planning to start a bottle with Nicholas once a day next week, in preparation.

Having the 2nd child is soooo much easier than I thought (so far)! Well, I mean it's not like he's up that much yet, but it just feels so natural nursing Nicholas while playing with Donovan and his cars, for example. "Sharing" my time isn't as hard as I thought...so far anyway. It feels good and I'm really enjoying it...minus the sleep deprivation, of course. :-p

I'm getting nervous that Nicholas is going to be just as challenging of a sleeper as Donovan! D'oh! I know it's early since he's only 2 weeks old, but already he needs to be held pretty much all day for naps (Donovan did not), I'm sleeping on the couch with him b/c he hates the bassinet but sleeps OK in the PNP in the family room, and he had a rough rough 4-6am this morning, where he was tired, but couldn't sleep (can you say Donovan?). I was sooo exhausted! But, I did get a good nap in for me today, so I feel prepared for tonight. On the flip side, he has re-settled himself going through sleep transitions, something I don't remember Donovan ever doing and he has already given me one 3 hour 45 min stretch (last night) which took Donovan months to do. Sooooo...the jury is still out. I'm scared, but at least this time I do know there is an end to the sleep problems as Donovan is a good sleeper now. :-)

He finally made his appearance!

2008-02-22T20:04:00.003-05:00

Here is Nicholas' birth story from 2/15. I'll update how we're doing in the next post. BTW, I changed the spelling of his name at the last minute (that's what happens when you go past your due date...you think too much...haha!). I figured it was annoying when people add an "H" to my name and given "Nicholas" is most often spelled with an "H" that I would doom him to correcting people too often. I saved him from that mild ongoing annoyance. :-)

Nicholas was 2 days late compared to his estimated due date and I was very anxious for him to come out at this point. I had been having strong Braxton Hicks contractions for days, but nothing became regular or led to anything. And, on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at just around midnight exactly, only about 30 minutes after I went to sleep for the night, I started having contractions again. Only this time they felt different and pretty strong. After the 3rd one that felt pretty close to the last ones, I woke Donnell to start timing them. I don’t think he believed me that I thought I was in labor because he kept dozing off. At first the contractions were pretty far apart (12-14 minutes) and we weren’t supposed to call the doctor until they were 7-8 minutes apart for one hour. By 1:10 a.m. we had our first contraction that was only 7 ½ minutes from the last. I think Donnell finally started to believe this could happen tonight. Haha! With the birth of Donovan, our one dog, Ringo, sensed what was happening and started acting funny, but not this time. For the next hour the contractions varied from 7 ½ to 9 minutes apart and we called the doctor, who told us to go ahead and make our way to the hospital.

After calling a couple of people and waiting for his nanny, Jeri Sue, to come over to care for Donovan, we headed to the hospital. It was around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. when we were settled into our labor and delivery room. They checked my progress and I was only 3 cm dilated at the time. Around 5:30 a.m. I was having a lot more trouble coping with the contractions. Each one wasn’t too bad, but when they come every 5 minutes, it gets very tiresome, so I asked for an epidural. We were also waiting for them to come in and break my water to progress things along. I asked them to check my progress once more before the epidural and I was 5 cm dilated. Around 6:15 a.m. the anesthesiologist came in to do the epidural. This part was troubling. He tried THREE times to get the epidural in. THREE! Maybe that would not have been too bad, except he never got it right! It was painful and worrisome to have someone poking my back so many times to relieve the pain all the while contractions did not stop either. So, I never received an epidural that actually worked. I felt every contraction and my doctor and nurses said that I basically had this baby "natural" given my pain management didn’t work. I did receive two doses of a narcotic, which helped some, but not enough. After the botched epidurals, they checked me again and I was now 8 cm and they broke my water. I thought to myself "Well, at least if I don’t have an epidural, at least I’m already 8 c.m. Getting to 10 c.m. shouldn’t take too long." Boy was I wrong!!

After being stuck at 8 c.m. for 2 hours, my doctor ordered Pitocin to be administered. I was a bit nervous about this because I was still unsure whether it was the Pitocin that led to my c-section the first time with Donovan. However, how much pain I was in and how long things were taking, I agreed to it. They increased the dose every 30 minutes and it still took hours for me to progress to the goal of 10 c.m. I was so exhausted that I actually would doze between contractions despite the fact the contractions were only 2-3 minutes apart. Amazing my body would try to get that rest in such a short amount of time. After many painful contractions later I was finally at 10 c.m. at around 1:00 p.m. and was able to start pushing. It only took about 30-40 minutes to push Nicholas out into this world. That might sound long but the nurses and my doctor said that this was basically like a first birth since I had a c-section the first time and typically first times can take 2 hours or more of pushing. I actually had to take a break to wait for my doctor to get in her scrubs because it was going pretty quickly. I was glad I caught that break because I don’t know if I could have gone through 2 hours of that hard work. Everyone was very encouraging and I felt like I had my own personal cheerleading squad in the room with me, including Donnell by my side. I was able to watch the birth in a mirror, when I had my eyes open. Haha! To speed things along, my doctor gave me an episiotomy, too.

At 1:41 p.m. Nicholas was born into this world via successful VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). It was exhilarating and I felt like I really accomplished something. They immediately were able to put the baby on my belly for me to hold, which was much different than after the c-section with Donovan. My doctor and nurses said what an amazing job I did, especially considering that VBACs are relatively rare and I did it basically naturally. They were very surprised, too, how composed I remained. They said they would have dropping “F bombs” left and right and yelling, etc., but I must have internalized a lot because I was actually very quiet through a lot of it. They said I must have a high pain tolerance. I didn’t think so, but perhaps that’s one reason the worst thing I said during the labor my nurse said, was "Oh my gosh!". Ha!

Although the labor and delivery were so painful and exhausting (words can’t describe), I am so happy I was able to experience the miracle of childbirth this way. I don’t think my bond to either of my sons will be different one way or the other, but I’m really glad I could experience both. I was teary after all was said and done and felt that the 13 hours of labor really meant something and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

We only had to stay in the hospital two days this time, which was nice considering Donovan was very much missing mommy at home. Donnell stayed the night at the hospital the first night, but not the second so he could be with Donovan. Once again, Donnell has proven to be a wonderful father and husband throughout my recovery. Amazingly, my recovery with this birth would have been sooo much easier than the c-section IF it wasn’t for the spinal headache that I have had for now a week after the birth. Because they “wet tapped” my spine three times (meaning spinal fluid was removed each time), it was inevitable that I get a headache. It hasn’t been as bad as they say it could get, but it has been bad enough that I’ve been on a couch for a full week, had trouble keeping food down 100% of the time, and overall very tired and weak. If it weren’t for this headache, I believe I would have been "up and at ‘em", so that has been unfortunate. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel as I haven’t taken any pain medication for a day now, kept real food down, and can get up from the couch in short spurts. Breastfeeding is going very well, too, and much easier the second time around!! Nicholas lost over 10% of his birth weight in 2 days, so we had to supplement with formula, but now we're done with that. I have WAY a lot of milk right now and have had to pump some off so he can even latch on. It was a relief my milk came in after just 3 days. Phew!

Donovan has been very interested in Nicholas and smiles every time he looks at him. It’s very cute. When Nicholas makes a noise, Donovan will say "hear dat?" and he’s been very gentle with him, so far. I think Donovan has had more trouble adjusting to mommy sitting around and not being able to play rather than the new baby. I’m sure we have some transitions and some jealousy to go through, but so far so good. Nicholas looks a lot like Donovan, by the way, too, just with less hair than he had at birth. Thank God for our nanny and my good friend, Kim, who have been so helpful. We have also been fortunate to receive a few meals or gift certificates for food. Thankfully I was able to freeze a few meals before the birth, too. Overall, it’s exciting to embark on this new adventure in the Life of the Johnson’s.

Yooooo hooooo! Where are you???

2008-02-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

Ummmm...are you cozy in there or what?! I wish I could say the same! You are due today ya know? My expectations were way off and it has caused me to be a little...okay a lot...impatient here. I did not expect to go back to work yesterday and it was BRUTAL. I thought about taking off, but what was I going to do but sit around and wait? Today is much better so far, at least. I am being teased left and right with a LOT of Braxton Hicks contractions, but they aren't leading anywhere yet. I guess I should be thankful that my water has not broken, I suppose, and that you are safe and healthy in there. We have a lot of people waiting on you, though, mister! A lot of people are anxious to meet you, especially your mommy! :-)

The latest thing that is really making me impatient is I have developed PUPPs, which is a skin problem in pregnancy. Interestingly, they don't know the cause of it. What's the cure, you ask? Only to deliver you! It itches on my belly a lot and gets red sometimes, with bumps. I am thankful, though, that some women get this at just 20 weeks, so if I only need to deal with it for a couple weeks (the last 2 days being the worst), I guess I'm happy. Always look for the positive things in life, ok? That is your first lesson your mommy will teach you. To be thankful and always find the silver lining. :-)

If you have not come by Thursday, I am quite sure my doctor will start to talk about when we need to get you out of there via c-section, as I can't be induced having a prior c-section. That will be very disappointing, to say the least, if I can't even attempt the VBAC after waiting this long. I could have done the c-section last week. :-) But, whatever gets us a healthy baby and healthy mommy will be what counts. Perhaps if you know you will be evicted by next Monday or Tuesday, let's say, I will get a massage this weekend and you and I can get you out of there sooner, ok? Deal?

Okay, back to work...ugh...you're killing me! :-)

Love,
Mommy

Since I'm not in labor...

2008-02-03T21:19:00.000-05:00

I guess Nicolas wants to stay put a bit longer than Donovan did, so I figured this would be a good time to update more about what Donovan has been up to.

Donovan is such a cutie. This age definitely has its challenges (read some major tantrums and tempers flaring if he doesn't get his way), but it's such a fun age at the same time. His language and communication are really blossoming and it's so much fun. Sometimes it's not, but that's to be expected as he tests us what is acceptable and what's not. His favorite two words right now are "No!" and "Later!" LOL! If I say it's time to go upstairs for bed, he says "Go upstairs laaaater!". And, then there is "eat dinner later" and all kinds of things he'd rather do "later". Of course, if it's something he wants to do and we say later, he says "Nooo, noooowwww." LOL! It's fun...most of the time. :-) He really enjoys being understood too and you better acknowledge you've heard what he says, otherwise you hear it over and over and over until you repeat it back. Difficult when you're not 100% sure what he's said. Ha! He enjoys playing the game of opposites, too, where we ask him the opposite of a word and he says what it is.

On top of his English blossoming, he surprised me last week when he started counting in Spanish. ;-) He can count up to 10 and knows that "abre" means "open". We're working on some animals, too. We can thank Dora for this. I do have a couple of Spanish language videos too, but we haven't shown those much lately, so it must be Dora. What's especially fun about this is he really understands it's another language. If I count in English, he says "Spanish" so we can do it in Spanish. A few times he's asked me what something is in Spanish. Pity I don't always know. LOL! I don't expect to make him fluent, but I hope I can teach him enough that he finds it's easy to learn in school later on. I wish my Dad could teach him French and German because I read somewhere if they can count to 10 in any language, they will have the sounds they need to learn it later. I'm not sure how true that is, but it would be great if his grandfather could teach him.

Lastly, one of the most impressive things Donovan is doing right now (at least to me) is putting together jigsaw puzzles. He can do the regular toddler puzzles (where the picture is there and you match the piece to it), but he can also do 12-pieces and up to 36-piece jigsaw puzzles by himself and 48 pieces, with help. The puzzles say they are 3+ and 5+ jigsaw puzzles, so we are quite amazed how good at them he really is at just over 2 years old. Donny says he must get it from me. :-)

On a physical note, he's still a pretty cautious kid, but he is learning to jump and climbs a lot more and is going up and down stairs like a "big boy" better now. He can also FINALLY open up doors. LOL! As a mother I wanted to encourage him and teach him how to open the door knob that I'm sure he could have done easily 6-10 months ago, but I'm not that crazy to want him to get into trouble, right? :-) He has a lot of energy, but thankfully not so much so that he bounces off the walls.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm sure there is lots more, but those are the highlights. I love him soooo very much. I wonder, sometimes, how I will love the new baby as much as I love him, but I guess it will happen, I hear. I can imagine because I know how much I love my nieces and when I added Donovan, that love did not lessen at all. Love is endless. :-)

Countdown t-4 (39 Weeks)

2008-02-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

My doctor's appt yesterday was same ol'. No weight gain, though! Yay! So, my total weight gain is 39 pounds, 2 more than with Donovan. Not too bad. My cervix was same as last week, she said (75% effaced and 2 cm dilated). I also asked her about whether they would give me Pitocin again given I had a c-section last time. I have read some doctors won't give it at all because it can increase the risk of uterine rupture (the main risk when you attempt a VBAC). She said they won't induce me (i.e. if I'm late, they won't bring on labor and I would need to get another c-section), but if labor has started (i.e. water breaking), they will give me pitocin and they call it "augmentation". Hmmm...my plan is to wait at least a couple hours at the hospital before pitocin if my water breaks first. I talked to my mom (your grandmother) and again she said with all 5 kids her water broke first, but she said it didn't take long for her contractions to start, so I'm going to give more time this time. I'm not sure if how your labor starts is hereditary or not, of course. She told me I should ask for a lower dose Pitocin if I do need help getting going. I am still so unconvinced the Pitocin plus epidural isn't what led us down the c-section path before, so I'm really hoping things go differently this time.

Your father doesn't quite understand why I would risk a uterine rupture rather than get another c-section. It is/was tempting to just schedule another c-section, but in the end, I really want to try to do this. This is my last chance. I want to experience childbirth, if possible. Also, what people seem to forget is that a c-section is surgery and the risks of surgery can be more than that of uterine rupture during a VBAC. The chances of uterine rupture is very low (less than 1% -- Click here). On top of that, recovery from a c-section can be much greater. Sure, my recovery from Donovan's c-section wasn't too bad, but it is not guaranteed the same will apply this time. All in all, it's something I want to try and your dad is supporting me in that. I just don't think he gets it. :-p But, it's not like he can understand what it feels like to be pregnant either, right? :-D

Anyway, I am anticipating giving birth to you THIS WEEKEND!! Woohoo! I really hope so!!! Since about an hour before my doctor's appointment yesterday, I've been having strong Braxton Hicks and maybe some real contractions on and off. Last night I had them for about an hour straight every 12-14 minutes, then they stopped. I had them on and off all night, but nothing consistent or continuous. I've had them alllll day on and off too! I hope this is my body gearing up. If I don't go into labor by tomorrow, hopefully this Super Bowl Sunday. If you make me work on Monday, I'm not going to be too happy, buddy! LOL! I'm very anxious at this point. I'm very uncomfortable and really would love to meet you, ok? Come on baby!!

And, now for my final belly pics. I won't take anymore even if I go another week. My belly is HUGE and I think I finally got some stretch marks. So, here they are. Enjoy. :-)

Hope to meet you tonight! I better get to bed, huh? :-p

Love,
Mommy

Countdown t-11 (38 Weeks)

2008-01-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

Good job staying put until after Aunt Kim's baby shower. Now you can come *any* day you want, ok? Like today, even, ok? :-) Kim's baby shower turned out very nice and I was very happy to give her that special day. I hope she liked it just as much.

I went to the doctor yesterday and I am 2cm dilated / 70% effaced. I don't think you can really go backwards in effacement, but it's just subjective how the doctor feels that day. Your HB was 150 and guess what? I lost a pound! :-O I was shocked, but my appetite has decreased over the last week, so I guess that makes some sense. Total net gain is 39 pounds right now, 2 more than with your bro.

Your room is all ready, so now all we are doing is waiting for you. I'm working a lot and very tired. I don't look forward to bed at all because it's just not comfortable and I'm not sleeping well. And, I wake up in the 5 o'clock hour most days just because. Hips are sore and overall very uncomfortable. That's to be expected at this point, but still hard to handle esp. b/c it would not be fair to your brother to just sit around, ya know? He does have to eat sometimes. LOL! It would make it easier if your dad wasn't coaching basketball and gone so much right now, but we're almost there. Just need to stay strong a bit longer.

I think that's it for now, otherwise I will just keep complaining. :-D Below are the pics for this week.

Love,
Your mommy

Countdown t-18 days (37 Weeks)

2008-01-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

Almost there. I thought I may have been starting labor the other night, but nothing happened, which is good! You're doing a good job staying in there until after Aunt Kim's baby shower on Sunday. Way to go! LOL After that day, you can come out *any* time you want. :-) Well, your dad might prefer you be a little late, but ummm...no thanks, ok? He wants to be able to finish out the basketball season and I understand that, but I'm very uncomfortable these days and if we go much longer I will have gained WAAAAY too much weight! I gained *another* 3 pounds in ONE WEEK! :-O What is going on? LOL Anyway, maybe it's water weight. ;-) So, in total I've gained 40 pounds already. Bummer. But, I hope to lose it quickly. I *might* be seeing some stretch marks, but I'm not sure. I also feel bruised on my belly. It's sorta weird. And, my skin has been burning a lot at the top of my belly. I put on a lot of lotion, but it doesn't help much. Sleep is rough, but I do believe you have dropped if you look at my week 33 pics, for example, and the past 2 weeks you can see my belly buttom pointing downward. Your daddy said you look lower, too and thank goodness you moved off my bladder. The last few nights I've only had to get up once to go to the bathroom. Yippee!! But, my hips are hurting a lot, so I really don't like staying in bed too much, and don't look forward to going to bed at night, either.

At the doctor's appt yesterday, your HB was 142. I am a little over 1cm dilated and still 75% effaced, so not much change from last week. I expected that. I was 1-2 cm dilated up until I delivered your brother. Speaking of your brother, he is such a sweetheart. He has a few alphabet books and for some letters we expand on what the letter is for like (his comments are in quotes):

D is for Door, Drum...and..."Dada! annnnnd Don! annnnnd Dogs annnnd Ducks"
M is for Milk and moon..."annnnd mama!"
N is for "Nicolas" as he rubs my belly. So sweet!! :-)

Below are my belly pics of the week. Enjoy. :-p

Love,
Mommy

Countdown t-25 days (36 Weeks)

2008-01-12T21:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

We are in the final days of this pregnancy. Soon, we will meet for the first time. I hope you are as anxious as I am. But, not toooo anxious. We have Aunt Kim's shower next Sunday first, ok?

At the doctor's on Thursday, I found out I am 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced. I looked back at my journal with Donovan and I was 1-2cm for several weeks, so this could mean nothing or it can mean something. We just won't know until you decide to make your appearance. Your heartbeat was 130 and everything looked great! I go back weekly now.

Today your brother and I went on a hospital tour so he could see where you are going to be born. It was a good trip. He was really interested to see the baby in the nursery and immediately tried taking you out of my belly with his bare hands. LOL So, at least now I know he knows you will come out eventually. :-) Later in the day we went walking and I tell ya, I can't move like I used to! I'm pretty sore this evening too. Phew! I look forward to getting this weight off.

I got my hair done and cut today. You can see it in my belly pics below. I think it looks cute! I'll be curious how it will look when it's curly again. I only keep it straight for 3 days tops. See you soon!

Love,
Mommy

35 Weeks Pregnant

2008-01-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

We're getting there! Not too much longer to go and I'm getting antsy! I'm getting a lot more uncomfortable here. My back is hurting A LOT and finding a comfortable position to sleep is getting REALLY hard! My skin burns on my belly sometimes too, so I add a lot of lotion. I'm super lucky as I haven't seen any stretch marks yet! :-O Maybe one day I'll get back in a bikini after all. ;-) We had a little scare at the doctor's appt last week when she had trouble finding your heartbeat, but it was all good. I am up to 34 lbs weight gain. I gained 37 with your brother, so I'm on pace to probably gain about 40 with you. I'm blaming the holidays and the lack of time to exercise this time around. :-D Next week, when I'm 36 weeks, I start going to the doctor every week and they check our progress. We have to make it to at least January 20th, so I can host your Aunt Kim's baby shower, ok? After that, have at it! Don't keep me waiting until your due date, ok? ;-)

We had a very nice Christmas this year, by the way. You can see pictures here. Your brother loved getting all his new toys, especially the cars, trucks and "things that go". It was really nice to spend time with the whole family and eat lots of good food, too! You got a few gifts too!

New Year's Eve was a lot of fun too. Your dad organized a small party where we hosted a murder mystery. It was very last minute, but he did a great job pulling it together and I didn't have to do much at all (I am not too much help these days). We laughed a lot and it was a lot of fun!! Here are pictures of the party.

It's late and my back is hurting, so I will leave you with pics and say good night.

Love,
Mommy

33 Weeks Pregnant

2007-12-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

I went for my 32 week appt last week. Your heartbeat was 145 and I gained (another!) 3 pounds. I'm not that worried about my weight gain (I know I will lose it), except my pants feel tight and I don't want to have to buy new pants in January! I guess I'll have to stick to just yoga pants pretty soon. LOL :-D

I asked my doc about my chances of a successful VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) and she said since it wasn't that I pushed for 2 hours or labor stalled and it was more baby (Donovan) not tolerating it well, my chances are a good 80%. That made me happy b/c all this time even though I wanted to try, I was thinking it was more 20% chance it would happen. So, I'm happy about that. My plan is to try not to have any medication as early this time. I'm not sure if I can go completely natural, though. :-O Not how I remember those contractions! But, I'll try. I have to wonder why I really want to even try for a vaginal birth. In a lot of ways it sounds more painful and "messy". LOL! But, I guess, as a woman, I want to experience it, if I can and this is my last chance. For one, we will likely stop at 2 and also if I ended up with another c-section, even IF we had a 3rd...big *IF*...I'd have to have a c-section, for sure.

So, we have 7 weeks left. My back is hurting BAD!! I'm not sure if I just don't remember it hurting this much before, or if it's b/c I'm not going to the chiropractor this time, or I'm not exercising much, or another reason, but it hurts a lot. Add the fact that I'm tired every morning when I wake up, even if I've had a relatively "good" night's sleep, I'm getting pretty bad off here. Ha! I remember the last month with Donovan being pretty bad, but I'm thinking the last 2 months with you is going to be the "bad" stretch. I can't rest as much this time, either, so I'm sure that's a factor. You must be getting pretty cramped in there, too, how you keep trying to break through my belly. :-p

So, I think Donovan is really grasping this baby thing more and more. We went for pro pictures last weekend and he really cooperated very well, giving you kisses and all. We were looking at 2 penguins, a mommy and daddy, and when I asked where the baby penguin was, he said "momma's tummy", which I didn't even expect. We got a Christmas card from my friend and neighbor who just had her 2nd and I told him how that was her 2-year old's baby brother and then he said again how the baby was in momma's tummy. So, that seems to be going well. He asked what the carseat was hanging out and I told him and then asked "Do you want the baby to sit next to you in the car?" and he said "yes". So, that's good, too! :-) I know he will likely be jealous at times, but I'm sure he will be a great big brother to you in no time.

Lastly, I think your brother is trying to tell me I'm gaining too much weight. Sure, he's rubbed my tummy and said "daby", but now a couple times he's rubbed my butt/hip area and said "daby" too. So not funny! LOL! :-D

Love,
Mommy

31 Weeks and another ultrasound!

2007-12-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

Oh boy! You have really filled out!! We saw you today at our last 3D ultrasound. You've gained a lot of weight, it looks like. It was great to see you again. I'm measuring about a week early, still. She estimated that if I go 40 weeks you'd be in the high 7 lbs and probably 20 in. But, she said the height is only based on the femur so you could have long legs and shorter upper body. Donovan was 19 inches when he was born, so we'll see. Anywho...all was well and here are some of the pics (there were over 50!!).

Love,
Mommy

Pouting:

Still a boy! LOL

Tongue action

30 Weeks Pregnant -- 10 more weeks to go! Eek!

2007-11-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicolas,

I'm playing with the spelling of your name here. I'm not sure if I like it better with or without the "h" yet, so bear with me. I keep hearing your name around now. At the mall play area, Nicolas Cage in the movies, etc. :-)

So, we only have 10 more weeks to go until we meet you and that's if I go to the due date! :-O How exciting, yet nerve-racking! :-D I'm excited to meet you and have another baby, but nervous what it will be like with 2 kiddos. I'm sure it will be very hard, at first, but just like with your brother, in due time we won't remember what life was without you. You will be loved very much.

I went to the doctor today and your heartbeat was 142. My belly is measuring "30", which means growth has slowed considering I have been measuring 2 more than the # of weeks pregnant. I certainly don't feel that way b/c I feel HUGE!!! :-D My belly is really in the way these days. Soreness is setting in and it's really hard getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. But, you're worth it, right? ;-) We are in the home stretch as I now go see the doctor every 2 weeks! Yikes! That hit home today. I gained another 5 pounds (I'm blaming Thanksgiving), so I'm up to 30 total, so far. I'm sure Christmas won't be nice to me, so I'll probably end up gaining more than I did with your brother (37 total), but that's ok. His came off, so I'm hoping the same of yours. ;-)

The nursery is coming along. I have lots of laundry to do and need to pick up a couple other things, like a double stroller, but overall I feel good at our progress. Oh and, guess what? Yesterday your dad picked up our first minivan!! :-O Yep, you read that right. I'm a minivan mom, now! Woah! I never thought that would happen, but the SUV (Acura MDX) just didn't seem like it was going to work because of how tall your dad is. You see, you have to ride backwards for the 1st year, so you really can't go behind him since he needs his seat all the way back. And, your brother's feet were really smashed behind your dad, hence the minivan. Your brother can climb in all by himself now, so I'm sure he'll like that. We'll be keeping this van for 10+ years so we got a 2008, brand new, with all the bells & whistles. It is REALLY nice!

I'll close here. We get to see you again on 12/9 for our next 3D ultrasound. I'm looking forward to that! And, we go for professional pictures the following weekend, where we hope your brother will give you kisses. And, then the holidays will be upon us and in no time, you will be entering our lives in the flesh. :-) Can't wait to see you!

Love,
Mommy

These are my 29 week pics:

The Final Trimester - 27 Weeks Pregnant

2007-11-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Nicholas,

How are you doing in there? I feel you moving around a lot, but I bet you're starting to get cramped a little, huh? Well, we have 3 months to go, so get comfortable. :-)

I saw the doctor today and your heartbeat was 130. I gained 6 more pounds, so I think I'm up to 22 now. My belly measured a "29", which the doctor said was "perfect". I also gave blood after drinking a special drink to test for gestational diabetes. I have to wait for those results. Other than that a quick and painless appointment.

I'm feeling pretty good these days. My pelvis is sore alot and I have to take my time getting out of bed or changing positions, but all in all, I don't think my hips hurt as much this time. Maybe it's because I'm barely exercising except for chasing Donovan around sometimes. ;-) My headaches have pretty much gone away except for the occasional one, so I'm really happy about that. We get to see you again on Dec 8th for our next ultrasound. I'm excited!

Donovan is really getting much more aware of you, now. I'm sure my growing belly is hard to ignore. :-) He even knows where Nicholas is and will point to my belly. He rubs my belly and says "baby" and gives you kisses too. You can see some pics below. I doubt he can REALLY grasp that we will have a new baby here to stay, but it's fun nonetheless. We are going to get professional pictures taken of our whole family in December. I hope he cooperates. ;-)

There are moments that I'm very excited to hold you. I don't think I was *as* able to be excited about a baby when I was pregnant with Donovan. I was excited to have a baby, but being a first time mom I was also very nervous, but now that I've been doing this for a couple years, I can relax sometimes and be excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm still nervous what life will be like with 2, but I think we will make a very happy family and am looking forward to it. I went shopping for some necesseties last week and have started working on the nursery. I have some ways to go and plan to be done by Christmas in case exhaustion really sets in like I remember last time. Your mommy is nothing if not a planner. :-)

Well, I'll close here. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Love,
Mommy

What a smarty pants!

2007-10-24T09:41:00.000-04:00

I was putting Donovan to bed and said it was time for mommy to go, which he didn't like (last 2 days he doesn't want me to leave), so I said "It's eight three oh and that means it's time for me to leave." (Sue me, I was rounding!) He's really into the clock now. So, he sits up, looks at the clock and says:

"Nenenenene! Eight two eight." So, I said "Okay, you have 2 more minutes." Smarty pants!! LOL! I'm sure he didn't know it was just 2 minutes, but all he knew is that it was NOT when I said it was. Hahaha! He cracks me up! And, when eight thirty came around, you better believe that he looked at that clock and made sure I was right this time. And, I was, and I left with a content, but still a little disappointed boy to go to sleep.

***************
Another funny story that I want to remember one day is that one day he was *this* close to a tantrum and I started to say in a funny voice "Are you trying to drive mommy crazy??!?!" and started tickling him. He thought it was so funny and it averted the tantrum. Yay! So, I tried it the next day and again he thought it was hilarious. Then he started doing this thing with his arms, raising them up. I didn't know what he was doing, so I just ignored it, basically. Well, then Donny says, "He's driving." LOL! He was literally trying to "drive" mommy crazy. How cute is that?!?! :-D

25 Weeks Pregnant

2007-10-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Nicholas,

I'm getting used to using your name, now. When I talk to you I'm trying use your name, now, except to your brother who knows the term "baby". :-)

You are going to be STRONG! You are very active in there lately and your kicks and punches are really strong. I can even see my tummy jump a bit from the outside, too. I think you are really trying to stretch out in there too because I sometimes feel you both on the bottom and the top at the same time. I feel reassured when I feel you move and am looking forward to seeing you again at our next 3D ultrasound in about 5 weeks or so. I still need to make the appointment.

A few people, including your dad, have commented I'm bigger this time around. While I am probably 1-2 weeks ahead of where I was with Donovan, that's about it. Even though the pictures, the doctor's measurements, and the ultrasound tell me I'm only measuring 1-2 weeks ahead, I find it amusing people think they can remember where I was specifically at 25 weeks pregnant with Donovan. I think our human brain cannot possibly remember that detail. LOL! But, let people think what they want, right? I look at pictures from my 39th week of pregnancy with Donovan and know I have a WAYS to go!! Wow, am I going to get BIG! :-D

Well, that's it for now. Keep warm in there and be safe. By the way, do you feel when your brother smashes you?? Just wondering. You know you kicked him in the elbow the other day, but he didn't really mind. At least not yet. He is grasping your presence more and more now that we are reading books about a new baby and the like. I'm sure he will be jealous, at first, when you are born but over time I'm sure you two will be peas in a pod and love each other dearly. I think he's going to make a great big brother.

Love,
Mommy

Donovan turned TWO!! Wow! Already?

2007-10-14T21:15:00.001-04:00

I can't believe Donovan turned 2 already. He is growing up sooo fast! It was an eventful week. The day of his birthday was pretty low key. His nanny, Paula, brought him a gift and made him a cake and he was able to open a few presents. He is very much into cars and trucks, so those were his favorite gifts all around this year. He can't seem to get enough of them!

We also had a birthday party for him yesterday (Click here for pics). He had a lot of fun, especially opening presents...well, if they were cars or trucks or something that moved. LOL! He played fairly nicely, getting upset a few times when one of the other kids touched his stuff...particularly the new gifts. This is understandable at this age as they are still learning to share, right? ;-)

Donovan's doctor's appointment went fairly well, for a 2-year old, but I wish I had brought Donny with me. :-p He hated most things about the appointment, but then wouldn't leave the waiting room to go home. Typical 2 year old. LOL! He's about 34 3/4 inches tall and 27+ pounds, so he's growing nicely.

He is talking up a storm, although we probably are most apt to understand him, still. Some things are clear as day and other things we only know what he's saying in context because we interact with him daily. Most of his sign language has been replaced with words, which is expected. I am VERY curious, though, if he will remember them and use them with the new baby or at least understand the new baby when we teach him signs too. He has a few signs left and I think "more" will be the last to go, even though I've noticed he's not using that one as much, either. He knows all his basic colors, I'm pretty sure all of his numbers, knows many letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make, and knows that letters make words, but obviously can't read yet. I think he can be an early reader if we keep fostering it. He is really grasping the concept of time, too, and will look at the clock and say the numbers on it. I used it sometimes to say "At Eight Oh Oh, we will...". It works...sometimes. ;-) He still LOVES to read a lot and can read the same book 20 times or 20 different books after one another. We think he is very smart, but of course we are biased. :-) He also moved into a "big boy room" and is doing very well staying in bed...so far. I'm so glad that has gone better than I ever anticipated!

Finally, unfortunately, his nanny found out her grandmother in Brazil is in the hospital and very ill. :( She decided to go back to Brazil for a little while for her grandmother and to help her family through it. Because travel is so expensive back and forth, she has decided to stay for a longer period of time, probably through Christmas. :( Well, unfortunately, although we really love Paula, this means we needed to look for a new nanny because her absence is undetermined and we really need to be settled a couple months before the baby is born. Donovan is going to have a lot of changes and we need to make sure we limit them as much as possible around January and February. But, we are pleased to welcome Jerri Sue to our family!! She is a professional nanny and has been doing it for 20 years. She has been with her past 2 families for 5 years each and so we feel confident that she wants to become a part of our family and stay with us for a long time. We are really looking forward to working with her and getting to know her better. She is obviously very warm and loving. I find it very impressive and encouraging she's done mission work in other countries, as well. :-)

I'll close here by saying that Donovan is so wonderful. This is such a fun age!! It's a challenging one, but the interaction is just so awesome! I love when he says he loves me or night night or just gives me a hug or a kiss without prompting. It's so wonderful and I don't remember my life before we had him...much. LOL

23 Weeks Pregnant and I think you have a name!

2007-10-14T20:56:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

You are getting strong in there! You were doing some acrobatic work the night before last at 3am for about an hour! Maybe you were hungry because I sure was!! :-) I feel you move now many times a day, every day. I love this part! Your daddy has felt you moving now too and he said "Oh wow!" when you kicked his hand several times.

My doctor's appointment last week was uneventful, which is always good during pregnancy. Your heartbeat was a strong 155. Your mommy gained 8 pounds in a month, though! Yikes! That brings my total weight gain to about 16 pounds, already. It's all these sweets. I've eaten a lot more this time around. :-p My belly is measuring bigger this time around, too. She measured it at "25" and usually it matches the number of weeks pregnant you are. I think because my belly has already stretched, it just knows what to do this time. ;-) So far, so good on the stretch marks. Maybe one day I'll get in a bikini again. ;-)

So, I think you may have a name! I think we are 90% sure. First, let me tell you the names we considered. If you were a girl, you were going to be Mikala Renee, just like your brother if he had been a girl. Renee was both your dad and my sister's middle names, both deceased a year apart. But, since you aren't a girl, that name will go away now. Perhaps either you or your brother will name a daughter that one day. :-) We wanted you to have a meaningful name like your brother, whose name sounds similar to your dad's and has the same initials as him. But, we were out of D names we like to do the same for you (let me assure you this does not mean we love you any less haha). We considered "L" middle names and after my father, your grandfather, Leon. But, "Leon Johnson" w/ first or middle name just doesn't sound right to us. :-( We looked at the same meaning, but slight variation like "Lionel" or "Leo", but not really working either. I even considered trying to incorporate his love of crosswords. LOL! No go. Sooooo...your father liked "Xavier Michael", but I don't love it and it doesn't have as much "meaning" to me, so I liked "Nicholas" so you are named after me. I considered your initials to match mine like "Nicholas Alexander" (a little long) or "Nicholas Aaron" (your father didn't like either), so I think we have compromised on "Nicholas Xavier". What do you think? Do you like it? Let me tell you one reason your father likes "Xavier" is because if you decide to be an athlete, he wants to bang his arms together and make an "X" and chant your name. LOL! Your dad is so funny and silly. :-D Well, there ya go.

We are anxiously looking forward to meeting you in a few months. We have a few things to buy and we need to clean up your room, but we are almost ready for you. Not as much to do this second time around.

Love,
Your mommy

21 Weeks Pregnant and we know what you are!

2007-09-26T17:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

We had our 3D ultrasound today and it was soooo cool! It really made it sooo real to see you moving so much, the music in the background, cheek bone structure (which I think looks like your daddy's), other detailed features, etc. Seeing you in 3D was so awesome and the technology was so cool to be able to see the blood flow in (red) and out (blue). They gave me a CD w/ all the pics and a video, too. We have a very practical reason for getting a 3D ultrasound this time, that we didn't get for your brother. Insurance wasn't going to cover the ultrasound and the doctor was going to charge us $257. Well, a 3D ultrasound is actually cheaper! Now that we've actually done it, I'd do it again in a heartbeat! It was way cooler than a 2D. ;-)

Everything was measuring a little ahead (consistently) at 22w2d so she said to maybe expect you a little early (1/28 rather than 2/5/2008). She estimated your size at 12 ounces right now, almost a foot long, including legs, and you had long fingers. I think your brother Donovan did too! Everything physically was perfect, she said (fluid, spine, etc.).

So, without further ado, Donovan is going to have a baby BROTHER!!!! I knew it before she said something. It was REALLY obvious! You lucky guy. LOL I got tears in my eyes. I mean I sorta wanted to know what it was like to have a girl (and you will most likely be our last baby), but I'm super happy you are a boy and now you and your brother can play together, be best buds (hopefully) and all that good stuff. And, now I know what to do with a boy. :-D I do hope you sleep a little more than your brother did in the those early months, though. LOL!

Your daddy and I are very excited and will start working on your name. We had a name all picked out from last time for a girl, but the boy name we had a runner up for Donovan, but now it just doesn't sound like you, so we're going to think of a new name. We can't wait to meet you!

Love,
Mommy

Here are some pics:

And, the money shot:

And, mommy:

19 Weeks Pregnant

2007-09-13T21:36:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

I had a doctor's appointment today. I had gained 5 pounds for a total of 11 so far. The doctor said that was perfect. I am not gaining as much weight this time and I'm sure chasing a toddler around has something to do with it. Donovan loves to go on walks and such and loves to "race" us too, so it gets me up and moving which is a great thing! Your heartbeat was 137 today, which is within normal range. I am wondering whether the old wive's tale is true that a slower heartbeat means you are a boy. Lately I have been having more and more feelings that you are a boy. We find out next Wednesday at 1:45 for sure! :-) I can't wait!! Aside from that, it was a somewhat uneventful appointment, which are good when you are pregnant. I was able to see the top of your head during an ultrasound to check my cervical length (which was in great shape). I gave blood for an AFP blood test to ensure you don't have Spina Ebifida. I'm not worried. We get those results in a week. By then I'm sure I'll forget I even gave blood. :-)

Here are a couple of pics of your growing momma! Still can't wait to meet you and I've been daydreaming about holding you in my arms.

Love,
Mommy

Compare to when I was pregnant with your brother:

Walked a mile in his shoes

2007-09-04T10:24:00.000-04:00

Seriously. Last night Donovan must have walked a mile or more! :-O I need to take the car and measure. We went on a walk last night and it was sooo nice out. I let him lead the way and we ended up going much further and longer than I intended. We each pushed a stroller. He walked almost the whole way on his own! I only had to pick him up one place that did not have a sidewalk that was busier and the last 1/4 block he wanted "up" b/c he finally got tired. LOL

But, get this. He still didn't fall asleep til almost 10pm! What do I have to do to tire this kid out?!?!? Hahahahaha!

We had such a nice mommy and me time, though. I cherish these moments and at least he's getting his growing mommy off her butt and walking. ;-)

17 Weeks Pregnant

2007-08-31T11:12:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

Boy have I popped!! It looks like I'm pooching out a bit sooner this time around, which I read was normal. Comparing my pictures from when I was pregnant with Donovan, it looks like I'm showing about 2-3 weeks earlier this time. I'm sure it will level out. Your grandmother said all her 5 kids were about the same size, so I very much doubt this means anything in terms of your size. :)

Headaches continue to plague me, which is not very fun. I started getting a migraine one morning at 2am, so I took a strong pain med and I still had it when I woke up. Ugh. Then, it got worse again so I took another one right before lunch and it made me feel sooooo weird. I'm never doing that again! It made me feel bad b/c if I was feeling that way, how were YOU feeling? Sorry. Hope you're ok in there. :-) My allergies are also affecting me more than I remember last time, however, it could just be the time of year. It is sooooo hot this summer! I'll be glad when it cools down.

Your big brother still doesn't know what's going on. I don't even think he notices my belly getting bigger yet, although I've noticed sometimes he has trouble getting comfortable while rocking before bed. :-D He is doing well and becoming very social. His nanny, Paula, is so good at taking him out and meeting people and letting him experience a lot. We love her so much and are so glad she's with us!

We get to find out whether you are a boy or girl in the coming weeks. We may get a 3D/4D ultrasound this time because I was having trouble getting an appointment with our doctor when your dad could be there. We'll see.

Well, here are pics of you in my belly in the last week.

Love,
Mommy

Week 17:

Compare to last time:

Week 17:

Week 19:

15 Weeks Pregnant

2007-08-13T11:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

I heard your heartbeat today at my doctor's appointment. It was a strong 150. I gained 6 pounds since my last appointment, but that wasn't too bad considering I haven't gained too much so far. I have been getting a lot of headaches this time around and I'm not sure why. Last week I had a migraine for 3 days and had to get approval for the doctor to take an equivalent to Percoset. I was nervous, but could not take the headache anymore. Finally they seem to be gone for the time being. Does this mean you are a girl since I stopped having headaches with Donovan earlier than this? :-) Or, maybe it's simply because I've been unable to give up caffeine this time around. Being pregnant with a toddler does that to a mommy. Sorry. LOL! My doctor assures me my 1/2 cup of coffee per day is just fine.

I think you're going to be a strong baby. Why? Because I really haven't been able to slow down much and you are right there with me. Yesterday I was running around the backyard with Donovan and some of his cousins at a BBQ at your great Aunt's house. It was so much fun!

I swear I have felt you moving in there in my belly. I think "they" say it's still too early, but I just know I've felt you. I think you like to move a lot, just like your brother. :-)

Let me tell you what your brother is up to right now. He is 22 months old now. He is reaching those terrible two's we have often heard about. He has quite a temper sometimes! It's always worse when he's tired or hungry, of course. He is really talking a lot more now. Some pronunciation is still not there just yet, but I can understand a lot of what he says. Your daddy too. He is, overall, a very well-behaved little boy and very smart. He knows all his colors, how to count to 10 (tho difficult for others to understand his numbers), and even knows what certain letters sound like and can tell me some of his letters. If I point to "H", he'll say "ha ha ha". If I verbally ask him what sound H makes, he says the same thing. He can look at A, B, D, E (sometimes), H, I (points to his eye), M, O, and T (sometimes) and knows what sound they make or what letter it is. We think this is fantastic at his age and are very proud! He ***LOVES*** cars right now, including the movie Cars. He even wants to sleep with them in his bed. :-) We will be working on making his big-boy room soon, so you will have a room when you are born. We think a cars theme would be obvious and hope he loves his new room.

We can't wait to meet you and for you and your big brother to meet. We get to find out if you are a boy or a girl in about 5 weeks. How exciting! Take care in there.

Love,
Mommy

We saw you again today

2007-07-30T11:48:00.000-04:00

Dear Baby Bean,

We saw you again today during a procedure called an UltraScreen®. It was a more detailed ultrasound that tests you for any chromosomal abnormalities. Technology is so amazing and by the time you are our age, it will probably be even more detailed! We could have opted for just a blood test like we did for your big brother, Donovan, but we wanted to see you again :-) and didn’t have this option when we were pregnant with him. We loved seeing your heartbeat. We heard it too and that was so awesome!! Your heart rate was a strong 159.

I (your mommy) am feeling pretty well, except for being a bit tired and having some pretty wild and crazy dreams almost nightly. What are you doing in there? According to the ultrasound, you look pretty active in there. It looks like you might have the same amount of energy as your brother. Lucky for us, your daddy and I are energetic people too. I am starting to grow pretty rapidly and am already getting my maternity clothes out. This is common for second pregnancies, though. I haven’t gained that much weight (maybe 2-3 pounds), but definitely getting bigger. Maybe you can see it in the pictures. I really feel like sometimes I can feel you moving in there, but it’s supposed to be too early for that. Your brother, Donovan, is still too young to grasp the concept that you are growing inside me, but he’s looked at your pictures and likes to see you. :-)

I can’t wait to find out if you are a boy or girl, but that has to wait several more weeks until around 20 weeks. Next appointment, we’ll be able to hear your heartbeat again, at least. I can’t wait! Take care in there and if you don’t mind, stop any aerobics in the wee early mornings, so my dreams stop. Thanks! We love you!

Symptoms

Minor cramps
Crazy, detailed dreams
Tired